# Job 29 đ: Job Recalls His Former Blessings
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[[-Job Overview]] | [[Job 28]] | [[Job 30]]
> [!info] Table of Contents
> [[#đ Scripture Text (NET)]]
> [[#đ Verse-by-Verse Commentary]]
> [[#đ¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]]
> [[#đ§ Chapter Summary]]
> [[#âď¸ Christ in This Chapter]]
> [[#đ Key Principles / đ Life Application]]
> [[#đŹ Discussion Questions]]
> [[#âď¸ Key Verses to Remember]]
> [[#đ Related Passages/Cross Reference]]
> [[#đ Devotional Reflection]]
> [[#đ Internal Notes]]
## đ Scripture Text (NET)
(The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005)
# **IV. Jobâs Concluding Soliloquy ([29:1-31:40](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job.29.1-Job.31.40&version=NET))**
## Job Recalls His Former Condition
[[#Verse 01.]] Then Job continued his speech:
[[#Verse 02.]] âO that I could be as I was
in the months now gone,
in the days when God watched over me,
[[#Verse 03.]] when he caused his lamp
to shine upon my head,
and by his light
I walked through darkness;
[[#Verse 04.]]Â just as I was in my most productive time,
when Godâs intimate friendship was experienced in my tent,
[[#Verse 05.]] when the Almighty was still with me
and my children were around me;
[[#Verse 06.]] when my steps were bathed with butter
and the rock poured out for me streams of olive oil!
[[#Verse 07.]]Â When I went out to the city gate
and secured my seat in the public square,
[[#Verse 08.]]Â the young men would see me and step aside,
and the old men would get up and remain standing;
[[#Verse 09.]]Â the chief men refrained from talking
and covered their mouths with their hands;
[[#Verse 10.]]Â the voices of the nobles fell silent,
and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths.
## Jobâs Benevolence
[[#Verse 11.]] âAs soon as the ear heard these things, it blessed me,
and when the eye saw them, it bore witness to me,
[[#Verse 12.]]Â for I rescued the poor who cried out for help,
and the orphan who had no one to assist him;
[[#Verse 13.]]Â the blessing of the dying man descended on me,
and I made the widowâs heart rejoice;
[[#Verse 14.]]Â I put on righteousness and it clothed me,
my just dealing was like a robe and a turban;
[[#Verse 15.]]Â I was eyes for the blind
and feet for the lame;
[[#Verse 16.]] I was a father to the needy,
and I investigated the case of the person I did not know;
[[#Verse 17.]] I broke the fangs of the wicked,
and made him drop his prey from his teeth.
## Jobâs Confidence
[[#Verse 18.]]Â âThen I thought, âI will die in my own home,
my days as numerous as the grains of sand.
[[#Verse 19.]]Â My roots reach the water,
and the dew lies on my branches all night long.
[[#Verse 20.]] My glory will always be fresh in me,
and my bow ever new in my hand.â
## Jobâs Reputation
[[#Verse 21.]] âPeople listened to me and waited silently;
they kept silent for my advice.
[[#Verse 22.]]Â After I had spoken, they did not respond;
my words fell on them drop by drop.
[[#Verse 23.]] They waited for me as people wait for the rain,
and they opened their mouths as for the spring rains.
[[#Verse 24.]]Â If I smiled at them, they hardly believed it;
and they did not cause the light of my face to darken.
[[#Verse 25.]] I chose the way for them
and sat as their chief;
I lived like a king among his troops;
I was like one who comforts mourners.
## đ Verse-by-Verse Commentary
###### Overall.
###### Verse 01.
###### Verse 02.
###### Verse 03.
###### Verse 04.
###### Verse 05.
###### Verse 06.
###### Verse 07.
###### Verse 08.
###### Verse 09.
###### Verse 10.
###### Verse 11.
###### Verse 12.
###### Verse 13.
###### Verse 14.
###### Verse 15.
###### Verse 16.
###### Verse 17.
###### Verse 18.
###### Verse 19.
###### Verse 20.
###### Verse 21.
###### Verse 22.
###### Verse 23.
###### Verse 24.
###### Verse 25.
## đ¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights
1. Chapters 29-31 form Job's final defense: his past (29), his present (30), and his oath of innocence (31).
2. The city gate (29:7) was where elders met and legal cases were decided (Deuteronomy 21:19; Ruth 4:1-2).
3. The Hebrew word for God's "friendship" (29:4), *sod*, means close and intimate counsel (Psalm 25:14).
4. Paths bathed in cream and rocks pouring out olive oil (29:6) are pictures of overflowing abundance (Deuteronomy 32:13-14).
5. Job's memory of his children around him (29:5) is painful, since they died in 1:18-19.
6. Young men stepped aside and old men stood when Job arrived (29:8), signs of great respect.
7. Job wore righteousness like a robe and justice like a turban (29:14), an image also used in Isaiah 59:17 and 61:10.
8. Job's care for widows and orphans directly contradicts Eliphaz's accusations (22:6-9).
9. The word translated "sand" in 29:18 (*chol*) was understood in some Jewish tradition as the phoenix, a bird said to live a very long life.
10. Job says his counsel was awaited like spring rain (29:23), a precious image in a dry land.
## đ§ Chapter Summary
> [!note] đą Still growing. This section is on its way.
## âď¸ Christ in This Chapter
Christ is the true King who is eyes to the blind and feet to the lame. Job remembered caring for the poor and helpless (29:12-16), and Jesus came to bring good news to the poor and sight to the blind (Luke 4:18-19).
## đ Key Principles / đ Life Application
> [!note] đą Still growing. This section is on its way.
## đŹ Discussion Questions
1. Job remembers when God's friendship was over his home (29:4). What do you think made those days so precious to him?
2. Job was known for rescuing the poor, the orphan, and the widow (29:12-16). Who are the vulnerable people God may be asking you to help?
3. Looking back can be a blessing or a trap. How can remembering God's past faithfulness strengthen us instead of making us bitter?
## âď¸ Key Verses to Remember
- đ verses 2-4: Job longs for the days when God watched over him and His friendship was on his tent.
- đ verses 12-13: Job rescued the poor and the orphan and made the widow's heart sing.
- đ verses 15-16: Job was eyes to the blind, feet to the lame, and a father to the needy.
## đ Related Passages/Cross Reference
- đ [[Luke 04#Verse 18.|Luke 4:18-19]] - Good news for the poor, sight for the blind.
- đ [[James 01#Verse 27.|James 1:27]] - Pure religion cares for orphans and widows.
- đ [[Psalm 25#Verse 14.|Psalm 25:14]] - The Lord's friendship is for those who fear Him.
- đ [[Isaiah 61#Verse 10.|Isaiah 61:10]] - Clothed with garments of salvation and righteousness.
- đ [[Psalm 01#Verse 03.|Psalm 1:3]] - Like a tree planted by streams of water.
## đ Devotional Reflection
đ SOAP: [[Job 29 - SOAP|Why is it dangerous to focus only on the past?]]
## đ Internal Notes